Tony Vitello to the MLB: Internet explodes over reported Giants move
By Jacob Moss
Published:
One of the more shocking coaching transitions in history appears to be on the verge of happening, as reports have come out from ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Jeff Passan that Tennessee head baseball coach Tony Vitello is finalizing a deal to become the next manager of the San Francisco Giants.
This would make Vitello, who has been the head man in Knoxville since 2018, the first manager in history to make the transition from college coaching to the big leagues without any prior MLB experience.
Outside of the historic nature of Vitello’s move, this is obviously a massive blow for the Volunteers’ baseball program, which will now have to replace arguably the greatest coach in program history.
During his time at Tennessee, Vitello transformed the Vols’ program into a national power, guiding the program to 2 regular season and SEC Tournament titles (2022, 2024), 5 straight NCAA regionals (2021-25), 3 NCAA Super Regionals and College World Series appearances (2021, 2023, 2024), and their first ever College World Series National Championship in 2024.
Vitello took over a struggling Volunteers program and transformed it into one of the best teams in the entire nation year in and year out. As such, his reported departure is naturally a massive shock for both fans and analysts alike, many of whom took to X to share their reactions to the news.
Here’s a look at what people are saying:
